A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (Tor Books)

Stars: ★★★★.5/5

Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit.

Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London - but no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her ‘proper adventure’.

But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive — trickier than they hoped.

After reading the extended preview of this book, I knew that when I read the rest of this, I was going to love it. Schwab has taken a story that feels familiar but somehow made it a thrilling and inventive one. With alternate dimensions, evil plots afoot and truly memorable characters, A Darker Shade of Magic is its own kind of magic. This book met my high expectation with stars all across the board — in writing, worldbuilding, characters, atmosphere, you name it.

The writing is exquisite.

"Kell never noticed the faint aromatic smell of Red London clinging to his clothes, but whenever he traveled, someone invariably told him that he smelled like freshly cut flowers. Some said tulips. Others stargazers. Chrysanthemums. Peonies. to the king of England, it was always roses."

Schwab’s writing is very distinctive, very striking. It’s quick and witty and stylish, but not overbearing. It doesn’t crash over you, but it just hits all the right spots like a good cup of tea. I could honestly pick out any sentence on any page, her writing is just so consistent and solid.

The worldbuilding is wonderful. It echoes of things I’ve read before, but still feels fresh. I pitched this to my friend as Leigh Bardugo meets Kristin Cashore meets Sherry Thomas’s The Burning Sky. We’re introduced to similar dynamics and characters we’ve read before, but Schwab somehow brings them to life and makes them feel new and truly hers.

Let me throw a few more details here: Not one London, but three. Three. A ruthless, remorseless female antagonist and other deliciously sinister villains. Magic and parallel worlds. A reality-bending, blood magic wielding protagonist with family issues. A pick pocketing, wannabe pirate heroine. But I have to say the biggest drawn for me is Kell. I’m normally very passive about books with male protagonists. Not because I don’t like them, but because it’s easier for me to connect emotionally with female protagonists v. male. But like all our characters here, Kell was magic.

My only issue with book itself was some of the alternating chapters told through random POV. Neither Kell’s nor Lila’s, I ended up skimming a few of them because they dragged the pace of the story a bit for me. Other than that, this book just really worked for me — in pacing, premise, characters and overall feeling.

I can’t recommend this enough.

tl;dr:  Why haven't you bought this yet? Okay, but if you love Kristin Cashore, Leigh Bardugo, Seraphina or The Burning Sky, this is probably a book for you. Actually, if you like to read, this book is probably for you. Best read of the year so far.